India suffered a 1-3 series defeat to Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. In the final Test of the series, Australia defeated India by 6 wickets to put the series in their bag.
After the loss, India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir was visibly unhappy with the team’s performance but claimed that the dressing room atmosphere would always be happy. Gambhir spoke about being honest with the players and trying various methods for the betterment of Indian cricket.
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Gautam Gambhir calls for honesty and equality after India’s defeat
After the match, Gautam Gambhir spoke to the reporters in which he answered various questions related to India’s defeat. He spoke about being honest and fair to every player in the dressing room and not discriminating between a senior and a junior.
“To keep the dressing room happy, I have to be absolutely honest, equal and fair to everyone. I know we haven’t got the result, and it is frustrating, it is challenging; but whatever we can do in the best interest of Indian cricket, that will continue to happen in that dressing room,” Gambhir stated.
The series was a challenging one for India as several high-profile names failed to perform on the big stage. Senior players like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma looked woefully out of form and hardly contributed to the team.
Their failures were one of the biggest reasons for India’s defeat and the constant failures in the batting department. It remains to be seen how Gautam Gambhir, who is usually straightforward, handles this tough situation.
“It’s not my team or your team” – Gautam Gambhir
Gautam Gambhir further spoke about the hunger and the will to perform in international cricket. While he didn’t take any names, it was clear that he was speaking about Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. The former India opener wants his players to keep the team first ahead of the individual interests.
“Every individual knows at what stage is his game and hunger. That is the most important thing for any sport, any profession — how hungry you are, how passionate you are and is the team progressing or not with your contribution? Because ultimately it’s not my team or your team, it’s the country’s team,” the coach said.
Virat Kohli scored 190 runs in five Tests of this series at an average of 23.75. After the magnificent hundred in Perth, his numbers declined and he was constantly troubled by the ball outside off stump.
On the other hand, Rohit Sharma had more disappointing returns and even had to drop himself from the last Test in Sydney. Rohit scored 31 runs in three Tests at an average of 6.20. In his absence, vice-captain Jasprit Bumrah led the side.
Fair treatment to every player
Treating the players with equality is one of the biggest challenges for a coach and Gautam Gambhir spoke about it. He wants to be fair with every player whether he is a senior or a junior.
“If I am fair with only two or three individuals and not with others, then I am being dishonest with my job. So whether it’s a player who is yet to debut or a player who has played 100 Test matches, the simple objective of my job is that I have to be absolutely fair and equal to everyone,” Gambhir revealed.
With this result, Australia finally have their hands on the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after a decade. They have lost four Test series to India since their triumph in 2014-15. It also ends India’s chances to qualify for the WTC Final.